Sense & Sensibility...
This is one of Jane Austen's most famous stories. Perhaps Pride and Prejudice is the only one that eclipses this play or is performed more by community theaters.
It was Austen's first published work when it appeared in 1811 under the pseudonym "A Lady". A work of romantic fiction, better known as a comedy of manners, Sense and Sensibility is set in southwest England, London, and Kent between 1792 and 1797, and portrays the life and loves of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. The story follows the young ladies to their new home, a meagre cottage on a distant relative's property, where they experience love, romance and heartbreak.
I admit to not being a strong Austen fan, although there are legions of them and the house was packed when I went to the Sunday matinee. It appeals to people's sense of a fascination with the leisure class and the tribulations that concern young women about their future that was, in the 18th century, tied almost directly to whom it was they married. There is always a good deal of interpersonal intrigue in this pursuit, and the TRP performance captured that nicely. The acting is strong and the costuming is beautiful. The director, Kari Steinbach, did a very good job with the cast and crew to draw out the nature of relationships and how they are formed and maintained (or destroyed, as in the case of Marianne and Willoughby).
It was Austen's first published work when it appeared in 1811 under the pseudonym "A Lady". A work of romantic fiction, better known as a comedy of manners, Sense and Sensibility is set in southwest England, London, and Kent between 1792 and 1797, and portrays the life and loves of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. The story follows the young ladies to their new home, a meagre cottage on a distant relative's property, where they experience love, romance and heartbreak.
I admit to not being a strong Austen fan, although there are legions of them and the house was packed when I went to the Sunday matinee. It appeals to people's sense of a fascination with the leisure class and the tribulations that concern young women about their future that was, in the 18th century, tied almost directly to whom it was they married. There is always a good deal of interpersonal intrigue in this pursuit, and the TRP performance captured that nicely. The acting is strong and the costuming is beautiful. The director, Kari Steinbach, did a very good job with the cast and crew to draw out the nature of relationships and how they are formed and maintained (or destroyed, as in the case of Marianne and Willoughby).